Syringe hydrometer



July 19, 1938. P. PETERSON Y SYRINGE HYDROMETER Filed May 9; 195a 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 19, 1938. P. PETERSON SYRINGE HYDROMETER Filed May 9', 1936 ,2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N V EN TOR flier [Zkrsam BY MW.

Patented July 19, 1938 SYRINGE HYDROMETER,

Illinois Application May 9, 1936, Serial No. 78,919

7 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in hydrometers, and particularly to syringe type hydrometers having a transparent liquid receiving and float housing.

The primary object of my invention is to provide, with a hydrometer of this type having a transparent liquid receiving barrel, a suction bulb associated with said barrel and having an opening therethrough to give access for cleaning the barrel, and closure means for said opening to permit the instrument to be used as an ordinary syringe hydrometer.

Another object is to provide a hydrometer having a suction and compression bulb of substantially usual form, except that said bulb has an opening therethrough substantially in line with the opening of the transparent barrel so that the float can be removed and the transparent barrel can be cleaned by the use of a brush, swab, or other implement, without the necessity of removing or disassembling the bulb, nozzle, or other portions from the transparent and ordinarily frangible barrel, together with means for closing the opening.

Still another object is to so construct the bulb and the closure means therefor that the bulb can be applied to and used with substantially any and all forms and types of hydrometers, thermo hydrometers, and like instruments, without redesigning and reconstruction or rearrangement of the parts.

Yet another purpose is to provide a closure member for the clean out opening having associated therewith means to be interposed to prevent movement of a float element into the bulb, while at the same time permitting ready and free use of the bulb for drawing in and expelling a quantity of liquid desired to be tested in the liquid and float barrel.

Yet another object resides in so constructing the closure member or closure portion that this member or portion can be readily fitted in place and can be as readily and conveniently removed, to thus give free and clear access for placement and removal of a float element and for insertion and withdrawal of a brush, swab, or other implement used to clean the inner wall of the transparent liquid barrel.

With the above and other objects in View, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, my invention includes certain novel features of construction and certain new arrangements and associations of parts which will be hereinafter more fully set forth in connection with the drawings, and willthen be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a view in perspective showing a hydrometer having a bulb portion constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectional view through the bulb end of the hydrorneter as illustrated.

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2 showing a modified construction.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective showing one form of closure manipulating means.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal fragmentary sectional view illustrating incorporation of my invention in a thermo hydrometer instrument.

Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 2 disclosing another modified construction.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional View illustrating still another possible embodiment.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged perspective view showing a modified form of closure.

As the parts are illustrated in Figure 1, the liquid barrel l is made of a piece of cylindrical tubular glass, or of other suitable transparent material, and a float element 2, which can be of any desired type and form and construction, is located within the transparent barrel i. A nozzle portion 3 is fitted at the intake end of the barrel l, and a suction and compression bulb i is fitted at the other end of the barrel i. This bulb 3 can be of any desired form, construction, design and shape, and can be made of any suitable material.

Ordinarily the bulb i will be made of elastic rubber, or of similar material, and the bulb i is fitted at the end of the transparent barrel i so that the end of the barrel is entirely open and unobstructed. The bulb l has an opening 5 formed therethrough preferably substantially axially aligned with the tubular opening of thebarrel I, and this opening 5 is of sufiicient size to permit insertion and withdrawal of a brush, swab, or other cleaning implement to be employed in cleaning the inner wall of the transparent barrel l. Also, the opening 5 can be made sufiiciently large to permit insertion and removal of a float element, such as the float element 2 here illustrated.

As the parts are illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, I have shown an internally screw threaded ring 8 inserted and secured within the opening of the bulb 6, and the closure member for this opening is here illustrated as being a cap or plug 5. The cap or plug l is provided with external screw threads to fit the internal screw threads of the ring member 6, and these mating threads can be of straight type or of pipe thread type, it being the purpose to so form the closure plug 7 and so associate this plug with the bulb 4 that the opening into the bulb will be closed when the bulb is in use, and the closure can be readily removed when it is desired to clean the barrel I.

Ordinarily, a perforated plug or other stop means is fitted at the end of the barrel l to keep the stem of the float 2 from moving into the bulb 4, and it will of course be appreciated that a perforated plug or other separate element of this character cannot here be readily used, since it is essential that the adjacent end of the barrel i be open and unobstructed when the closure 1 is removed from the opening 5. With this in mind, I provide a stem 8 extending from the closure member I and provided at its end with a perforated flange portion or head 9, which flange portion is disposed in such spacing from the closure member 1 that when this member 1 is in place the flange portion 9 is disposed at the end of the barrel I opening into the bulb 4, to thus prevent movement of the stem or any portion of the float element into the bulb 4.

As the parts have been described, the ring 6 and the plug or closure member 1 can be conveniently made of metal, or of any other suitable material. The stem 8 and extending stop portion 9 can be made of soft rubber, or of any other suitable material, and these parts can be readily and conveniently assembled with the closure member I in the manner shown in Fig. 2, or in any other way that may be desired.

As shown in Fig. 4, the plug or closure member I is provided in its outer end with spanner openings l0, and a wrench member H has spanner pins l2 thereon to be fitted in the openings Ill so that the wrench can be used to readily rotate the closure member I in turning the screw threaded portion thereof into the screw threaded opening of the ring 6.

With the construction shown in Fig. 3, the bulb I 3 is illustrated as having an internally screw threaded ring M, of hard rubber or of other suitable material, vulcanized or otherwise secured within and around the clean out opening into the bulb I3. The closure member I5 can be made of vulcanized hard rubber, or of other suitable material, and the stem portion I6 and the extending flange-like stop I! can be conveniently made of soft rubber, or of any other suitable material.

In Fig. 5 I have disclosed my invention applied to and used with a thermohydrometer of the construction and form disclosed in Patent No. 1,965,456, granted July 3, 1934 upon an application of Leo Edelmann. In this adaptation, the transparent liquid and float receiving barrel I8 has a thermometer housing barrel i9 disposed closely adjacent thereto and held in place by a retaining member 20. The syringe bulb 2! is fitted to the suction end of the transparent barrel l8, and this bulb 2|, and the parts associated therewith, can be conveniently constructed and assembled and used in substantially the manner described in connection with Fig. 2.

In Fig. 6 of the drawings the transparent barrel 22 has the syringe bulb 23 fitted at the suction end thereof, and this bulb 23 is provided with a clean out opening 24. The bulb 23 is conveniently made of elastic or cushion rubber, and in this instance rounded threads are cast; or otherwise formed directly in the elastic and cushion material, within the opening 24.

A closure member 25, in the form of a plug, has similarly shaped rounded threads on the outer side thereof so that this closure member 25 can be turned into the threaded opening 24, and due to the inherent elasticity of the material of the bulb 23, this mounting and fitting of the closure member 25 will ordinarily accomplish a proper and fluid tight closing of the opening 24. The closure member 25 has a stem 26 extending endwardly therefrom and a perforated or notched flanged head 21 is carried at the inner end of this stem 26 to fit within or be held adjacent to the open end of the transparent barrel 22. The portions 25, 26 and 21 may be made as a unitary structure, perhaps cast or otherwise formed from elastic rubber, or with the plug portion 25, and perhaps other parts also, of vulcanized or hard rubber or of other suitable material.

In Fig. 7 the syringe bulb 28 fitted at the suction end of the transparent barrel 29 has a tapered clean out opening 30 formed therethrough, and a closure member 3| is made in the form of a stopper or cork, being preferably tapered to follow the taper of the Wall of the opening 30. This closure member 3| has a stem 32 extending inwardly therefrom, and an outstanding flanged stop portion 33 is carried at the inner end of the stem 3|. This stop portion 33 can have perforations or openings formed therethrough, can have the edge notched or serrated, and can be formed in any desired manner to prevent positive closure of the suction end of the barrel 29, and to yet interpose a sufiicient impediment to prevent the stem of any portion of the float element 2 from passing into the bulb 28. As here shown, the closure member 3| has a head portion 34 thereon to be grasped and manipulated in inserting and removing the member 3|, and if desired, this head portion can be knurled or otherwise roughened, or can be provided with extensions or other formations to permit more ready grasping and manipulation and handling.

As shown in Fig. 8, the closure member 35 can be of any desired construction, and likewise the stem 36 and the stop portion 31. The stop portion 31 is shown as an extending flange formation, and as provided with perforations 38 to insure a free and clear opening into the syringe bulb portion, but as stated these parts can be made in any other desired manner. The closure member 35 has a ring portion 39 on the outer side thereof so extending that the eye or opening 40 of the ring can be employed as a loop to receive a nail or other member and to suspend or hang the hydrometer when not in use. At the same time, the portion 39 is conveniently accessible to be used as a handle or hand-hold portion for manipulation of the closure member 35.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a bulb structure for hydrometers, and a hydrometer construction, that will make it possible to remove the float and replace the same, and to have access to the inside of the transparent liquid and float receiving barrel for swabbing the same out or otherwise cleaning the inner wall of the barrel, without the necessity of removing the suction bulb itself or the intake nozzle portion, or of disassembling any of the parts directly connected or associated with the transparent barrel, thus facilitating the assembly and cleaning of the instrument and materially lessening the possibilities of breakage of or damage to the liquid barrel or any other parts of the instrument.

While I have herein shown and described only certain specific embodiments of my invention and have suggested only certain possible modifications and changes in the form, construction, arrangement, assembly and association of the parts, and in the materials to be used, it will be appreciated that many other changes and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. A syringe hydrometer comprising, a barrel, a suction bulb mounted at one end of said barrel, said suction bulb having an opening therethrough substantially in axial alignment with the barrel to give access to said barrel for cleaning the same, and means to close said opening.

2. A syringe hydrometer comprising, a barrel,

a suction bulb mounted at one end of the barrel, a float in said barrel, said suction bulb being provided with an opening to give access for cleaning the barrel, a closure for said opening of the bulb, and means associated with said closure to restrict movement of the float into the bulb.

3. A syringe hydrometer comprising a barrel, a suction bulb mounted at one end of the barrel and provided with an internally screw threaded opening aligned to give access for cleaning the barrel, and an externally screw threaded plug to be fitted in the threaded opening to close said opening.

4. A syringe hydrometer comprising, a liquid barrel having a liquid intake at one end, a suction bulb having aligned openings therethrough fitted with one of the openings in communication with the barrel and the other opening aligned therewith to give access to the barrel for cleaning, means to close said cleaning opening when the suction bulb is in use, a stem carried by said closing means, and stop means carried by said stem to thus be disposed adjacent to the end of the liquid barrel.

5. A syringe hydrometer comprising, a liquid barrel having a liquid intake at one end and having the other end open, a suction bulbprovided with two openings fitted with one of said openings in communication with the open end of the liquid barrel and the other opening aligned therewith to permit cleaning of the barrel without necessitating removal of the bulb, means to close the cleaning opening, means on the outer side of said closure means for manipulation thereof, and means on the inner side of said closure means to interpose a stop adjacent to the end of the liquid barrel.

6. A syringe bulb for use with a hydrometer having a portion for attachment to a liquid barrel of the hydrometer and provided with a clean out opening located to be in alignment with the open ing of the barrel as thus attached, and a. removable closure for said opening.

7. A syringe hydrometer comprising, a barrel having a liquid intake at one end, suction means at the other end of said barrel and. provided with an opening aligned to give access to the barrel, a fioat in said barrel, a closure removably fitted to close the opening when the hydrometer is in use, and a stem on the inner side of said closure extending to restrict movement of the float from the barrel.

PETER PETERSON. 

